The UA Board of Regents approved a settlement of claims involving the construction at the UA Museum of the North. The settlement terms give general contractor Alaska Mechanical Inc. an additional payment of $6.25 million, with $1.6 million being paid by the design team and $4.65 million from UA.
Heather Kraemer, alumna, has been hired as the new Pub manager. Kraemer began her duties July 30. If you would like to reserve the Pub for special events or meetings, contact her at 7805.
Kevin Berry, SOM, has been appointed as the new MBA director.
Dusty Johnson, a retired Fairbanks police officer, has accepted the position of coordinator of the TVC law enforcement academy.
Updates to the UAF directory are due Sept. 5. Proofs will be ready for review Aug. 15 at www.uaf.edu/directory/proof07/. Please update your information at http://edir.alaska.edu, or notify your administrative contact with any changes. Contact the OIT Support Center at 8300 or helpdesk@alaska.edu for assistance.
Read about the opportunity of a lifetime for nine UAF postdoctoral fellows in the latest online feature story at www.uaf.edu/news/featured/07/ipy/
Richard Carr, CLA, delivered "Of Glass Churches and Monstrous Births: The Comic Australian Historical Novel" at the Association for the Study of Australian Literature's annual conference in July.
Shiva Hullavarad, Nilima Hullavarad and Pramod Karulkar, all with OEM, are three of the authors of a paper published in the journal Nanoscale Research Letters.
Shann Paul Jones', TVC, article "Aquatic Education in Alaska" was featured in Fish Alaska magazine.
Syun-Ichi Akasofu, founding director of IARC, recently published his book Exploring the Secrets of the Aurora, second edition.
The Alaska Native Language Center recently published the Dena'ina Topical Dictionary by James Kari, professor emeritus. This book is the most complete dictionary for any of the 20 Alaska Native languages.
OEM was recently listed in a survey of 39 university-based nanocenters published in the Small Times Magazine and in the State University of New York Binghamton's survey of university-based electronics research centers.
Roxie Rodgers Dinstel, Sonja Koukel and Kari van Delden, CES, presented an education session at the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences national conference in Reno, Nev. in June.
Wood Center Scheduling has increased its rates, effective July 1. Labor and building manager rates are $17.25 an hour and building attendant rates are $13.25 an hour. For more information contact Becky Phillips at 6023.
Alaska Sea Grant's award-winning 2008 Alaska Coastal Calendar is now available. The theme for this IPY edition is climate change. The 16-month calendar features informative narratives and illustrations alongside stunning photos. For more information visit http://seagrant.uaf.edu.
UA researchers, including faculty with UAF's WERC, have created a new water vulnerability tool to help communities monitor and protect their water resources. The Alaska Water Resource Vulnerability Index is the first comprehensive water assessment focused on the Arctic.
The UAF Women's Center is seeking volunteers to facilitate a single parent support group. If you are interested contact the center at 6360 or fywoc@uaf.edu.
The fall 2007 semester begins Sept. 6. For more information visit www.uaf.edu/catalog/current/acad_calendar.html.
Most campus offices will be closed Sept. 3 in observance of Labor Day.
The Center for Alaska Native Health Research is hosting free public seminars featuring its president's professors of biomedical research. The next seminars are Health Promotion Conceptual Frameworks Aug. 14 at 3 p.m. and Cultural Competency and Collaboration Aug. 15 at 10 a.m., both in Butrovich 212B. For more information contact 5528 or fycanhr@uaf.edu.
The UA Faculty Alliance presents seminars by George Kuh, including Creating Conditions So Every Student Can Learn Aug. 15 at 7 p.m., the Student Success Seminar I Aug. 16 at 10 a.m. and Student Success Seminar II Aug. 16 at 2 p.m. All seminars will be held in the Wood Center Carol Brown Ballroom, and are free and open to all. For more information contact Jeff Stepp at 6026 or jeff.stepp@uaf.edu or visit www.alaska.edu/governance/faculty/.
UAF HR is hosting new faculty benefit orientations Aug. 23 and 24 from 8:30 a.m.-noon in the media classroom, Rasmuson Library room 340. To register new faculty for orientation call 7700. For more information contact Susan Miller at 7557 or Pearl Steele at 7304.
The Office of Information Technology is hosting training opportunities throughout the summer, including Blackboard Communication Tools Aug. 16, Dreamweaver MX series Aug. 21 and 23, Roxen Content Provider Aug. 22 and Banner Navigation Aug. 23. For more information or to register visit www.uaf.edu/oit/training/.
The Cold Climate Housing Research Center is hosting the circumpolar housing forum, Sustainable Northern Shelter in a World of Diminishing Resources, Oct. 28-30. Registration is due by Sept. 30. For more information visit www.cchrc.org.
UA's Alaska EPSCoR program has received a three-year, $9 million grant from the National Science Foundation. The funds will be used to build research capacity in Alaska by hiring scientists, supporting graduate and undergraduate research, funding business research development, and developing K-12 education and public outreach programs throughout Alaska. The program also aims to increase the participation of Alaska Natives and other underrepresented groups in scientific fields.
The UA Museum of the North's expansion was awarded the Excellence in Architecture for a Building Addition merit award by the Society for College and University Planning and the American Institute of Architects Committee on Architecture for Education.
Julie Riley, CES, was honored at World Refugee Day in Anchorage for her work to help refugees learn skills needed to start a small business and grow items to sell at farmer's markets.
Alaska Nanook volleyball kicks off the season with two exhibition games. The team meets the Fairbanks Flyers Aug. 17 at 7 p.m. and the volleyball alumni Aug. 18 at 4 p.m. The lady Nanooks host Armstrong Atlantic Aug. 28 at 7 p.m. then head into the Auto Service Company Nanook Classic Aug. 31-Sept. 1. All games are played in the Patty Center gym. For more information visit www.alaskananooks.com.
Alaska Nanook rifle alumni Jamie Beyerle and Matt Rawlings won medals for Team USA in the Pan-American Games held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in July. Beyerle took gold in the women's 50-meter three-position. Rawlings took silver in the men's 10-meter air rifle.
John Rose has been named as the Nanook assistant hockey coach. Rose comes to UAF from Mercyhurst College and fills the position left by Wade Klippenstein.
The UAF Athletics Department is searching for athletics alumni. The department is updating its database on former Nanook student athletes and has created a website for alumni to visit and update their contact information. Check it out at www.alaskananooks.com/ot/alaf-former-athletes.html.
Nanook cross country takes on Hawaii Pacific University and Brigham Young University Hawaii Aug. 31 at 10 a.m. and Sept. 1 at 9 a.m. at the UAF trails. For more information visit www.alaskananooks.com.
Nanook hockey has entered into a new scheduling agreement with UAA to begin with the 2008-2009 season. The teams will now play in each other's early-season tournaments and face off in a two-game Alaska Airlines Governor's Cup series.
Sept. 1, 2007: Abstract submissions for the Ninth International Conference on Permafrost are due. The conference will be held June 29-July 3, 2008 at UAF. For more information visit www.nicop.org.
IPY Inspires
As we approach the 2007-2008 academic year, it's exciting to see International Polar Year in full swing. Close to 100 faculty, postdocs and students across campus are working on IPY-funded research projects--researching everything from the depths of the Arctic Ocean to noctilucent clouds in the northern sky. These projects are not only contributing to the global goals of IPY, but they're also inspiring the next generation of polar scientists.
An important component of IPY is education and outreach, and through a variety of forums UAF's researchers are revving up their existing outreach and using their talents to translate science for general audiences. Science cafes have sprung up around town, offering science lectures to coffee shop audiences and giving locals a chance to chat with top-notch researchers fresh from the field. North by 2020 workshops are helping to bring arctic expertise to Alaska residents and decision-makers.
As summer turns to fall, we will continue to introduce the general public to our research through booths at the Tanana Valley State Fair and the Alaska State Fair in Palmer. We'll kick off the academic year Sept. 20 with a lecture by award-winning environmental journalist and author, Andy Revkin. The University of Alaska Museum of the North will continue their IPY lecture series with a talk Sept. 13 by Lawson Brigham of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission.
Also in September we'll launch our statewide IPY art and writing competition for K-12 students, as well as a K-12 IPY educator resource guide that will assist teachers with IPY curriculum and activities.
Finally, we will round out the fall with participation in a number of conferences, such as Alaska Federation of Natives and Alaska Municipal League. We will use these opportunities not only to raise awareness about UAF's role in IPY, but also to continue a dialogue with our state and local leaders about the impacts of climate change in our communities and to provide these leaders with information that will lead to more informed decisions about the effects.
UAF researchers have their own legacy of giving back to Alaskans through outreach. We hope you'll encourage your friends and neighbors to join us as we ramp up this legacy during the remainder of IPY.
